THE EIGHT PARTS OF
SPEECH
By: Rizki Puji Lestari, S.Pd PDD UNS – D2 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
OPENING...
There are eight parts of speech in the English
language: noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. The
part of speech indicates how the word functions in meaning as well as grammatically within the
sentence.
An individual word can function as more than one part of speech when used in different
circumstances. Understanding parts of speech is essential for determining the correct definition of a word when using the dictionary.
1. NOUN
A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea.
man... Butte College... house... happiness
A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or
idea. Nouns are often used with an article (the, a, an), but not always. Proper nouns always start with a capital letter; common nouns do not. Nouns can be singular or plural, concrete or abstract.
Nouns show possession by adding 's. Nouns can function in different roles within a sentence; for example, a noun can be a subject, direct object, indirect object, subject complement, or object of a preposition.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
2. PRONOUN
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun.
She... we... they... it
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun. A pronoun is usually substituted for a specific noun, which is called its antecedent. In the sentence above, the antecedent for the pronoun she is the girl.
Pronouns are further defined by type: personal pronouns refer to specific persons or things; possessive pronouns indicate ownership; reflexive pronouns are used to
emphasize another noun or pronoun; relative pronouns introduce a subordinate clause; and demonstrative
pronouns identify, point to, or refer to nouns.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
3. VERB
A verb expresses action or being.
jump... is... write... become
The verb in a sentence expresses action or
being. There is a main verb and sometimes one or more helping verbs. ("She can sing." Sing is the main verb; can is the helping verb.)
A verb must agree with its subject in number (both are singular or both are plural). Verbs also take
different forms to express tense.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared.
Oh my!
4. ADJECTIVE
An adjective modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.
pretty... old... blue... smart
An adjective is a word used to modify or describe a noun or a pronoun. It usually answers the
question of which one, what kind, or how
many. (Articles [a, an, the] are usually classified as adjectives.)
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly
disappeared. Oh my!
5. ADVERB
An adverb modifies or describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
gently... extremely... carefully... well
An adverb describes or modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, but never a
noun. It usually answers the questions of when, where, how, why, under what conditions, or to what degree. Adverbs often end in -ly.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly
disappeared. Oh my!
6. PREPOSITION
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the sentence.
by... with.... about... until
(by the tree, with our friends, about the book, until tomorrow)
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to form a phrase modifying another word in the
sentence. Therefore a preposition is always part of a prepositional phrase.
The prepositional phrase almost always functions as an
adjective or as an adverb. The following list includes the most common prepositions:
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
7. CONJUNCTION
A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses.
and... but... or... while... because
A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses, and indicates the relationship between the elements joined. Coordinating conjunctions connect
grammatically equal elements: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet.
Subordinating conjunctions connect clauses that are not equal: because, although, while, since, etc. There are other types of conjunctions as well.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly disappeared. Oh my!
8. INTERJECTION
An interjection is a word used to express emotion.
Oh!... Wow!... Oops!
An interjection is a word used to express
emotion. It is often followed by an exclamation point.
The young girl brought me a very long letter from the teacher, and then she quickly
disappeared. Oh my!
